Marketing efforts to uninsured youth ramp up

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MIAMI (AP) — The so-called "young invincibles," are so important to the success of the Affordable Care Act that supporters and detractors are spending millions to reach them with racy ads, social media campaigns and celebrity endorsements.

The president is even asking their mothers to help in recruitment efforts.

The federal government and states running their own exchanges have launched marketing efforts for this crucial demographic of healthy young adults, but it's unclear if the messages are getting through.

Harvard's Institute of Politics recently polled about 2,000 young adults. The survey shows about 40 percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 are on the fence about whether to sign up, with the rest split fairly evenly between those likely to enroll and those who probably won't.

Insurers are betting on their business to offset the costs of covering older, sicker Americans.

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Follow Kelli Kennedy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/kkennedyAP

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Associated Press writers Brady McCombs in Salt Lake City and Gillian Flaccus from Los Angeles contributed to this report.